The present invention relates to an immunogenic conjugate comprising an autoinducer molecule of a Gram negative bacteria or a synthetic analogue thereof linked to a carrier molecule. The present invention also relates to antibodies and binding portions thereof capable of binding the immunogenic conjugate, and vaccines for the treatment or prevention of infection by autoinducer producing bacteria.
Some pathogenic Gram negative bacteria produce chemical moieties known as bacterial autoinducers (BAIs). BAIs are produced by Gram negative bacteria as a mechanism for communicating with other bacteria when they have grown to a high cell density. This mechanism is known as quorum sensing.
BAIs assist in the transcriptional control of genes involved in a wide range of metabolic activities. When the bacterial population reaches a critical threshold, the concentration of BAIs also reach a concentration sufficient to enable the BAIs to bind a group of transcription factors, known as R-proteins. Binding of the BAIs to the R-proteins triggers binding of the newly formed BAI/R-protein complex to DNA, which then induces transcription of a group of genes. In the gram negative pathogenic bacteria, a subgroup of the activated genes are pathogenic determinants.
BAIs are small, non-immunogenic, lipid-soluble molecules which are capable of diffusing out of the bacteria, and into the environment where they enter host cells. BAIs share structural characteristics, in particular, they have a homoserine lactone ring with an N-acyl side chain. Variability between different BAIs resides primarily in the structure of the acyl side chain.
It has been proposed that in addition to regulating transcription in bacteria, the BAIs also regulate transcription in cells of an infected mammalian host. A list of presently known bacterial autoinducers (BAIs) and the Gram negative bacteria which produce them are identified in Table 1 below:
The Gram negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes infections in immunocompromised hosts. PAI-1 has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of lymphocytes in vivo and downregulates expression of tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-12 (Telford et al., 1998, Infect Immun. 66(1):36-42). Pseudomonas aeruginosa frequently colonizes the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (Hoiby, N., 1974, Acta Pathologica Microbiolo. Scand. Sect. B. 82: 551-558; Reynolds et al., 1975, Ann. Intern. Med. 82:819-832). This bacterium produces a number of extracellular virulence factors including exotoxin A, which is encoded by the toxA gene (Iglewski, B. H. and Kabat, D., 1975, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 72:2284-2288; Iglewski et al., 1978, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 75:3211-3215); an elastolytic protease encoded by the lasA gene; an elastolytic protease encoded by the lasB gene; and an alkaline protease encoded by the aprA gene (Morihara, K. and Homma, J. Y., 1985, Bacterial Enzymes and Virulence, ed. Holder, I. A. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.) pp. 41-79; Bever, R. A. and Iglewski, B. H., 1988, J. Bacteriol. 170:4309-4313; Kessler, E. and Saffrin, M., 1988, J. Bacteriol. 170:5241-5247).
Pseudomonas aeruginosa utilizes a partially redundant quorum sensing mechanism which includes two autoinducers, N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (PAI-1) and N-(butanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (PAI-2) (see Table 1). These autoinducers control expression of a number of virulence factors, including the elastolytic proteases lasA and lasB, autoinducer synthase, alkaline protease, exotoxin A and rhamnolipid synthase. (Gambello, et al., 1993, Infection and Immunity 61:1180-84; Latifi, et al., 1996, Mol. Microbiol. 21:1137-46; Passador, et al.,1993, Science 260:1127-30; Pesci, et al., 1997, J. Bact. 179:3127-32; Seed, et. al., 1995, J. Bact. 177:654-59; and Toder, et al., 1994, Infection and Immunity 62:1320-27.) It is the production of these virulence factors which enable Pseudomonas aeruginosa to invade and induce disease in humans.
Current treatments for Gram negative bacterial infections typically target surface antigens of the bacteria to make antibodies. Development of vaccines and diagnostic antibodies to autoinducers are hindered by the fact that autoinducers are not only non-immunogenic, but are also freely diffusible through the lipid bilayer and are not covalently attached to the bacteria. Several studies have demonstrated that a non-immunogenic bacterial capsular polysaccharide may be conjugated to an immunogenic compound to generate antibodies to the capsular polysaccharide (Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,574 (conjugation of a fragment of a bacterial capsular polymer to a diphtheria or tetanus toxin or toxoid); Wessels et al., 1990, J. Clin. Invest. 86:1428-1433 (conjugation of a polysaccharide of type III group B Streptococcus to tetanus toxoid); and Schneerson et al., 1980, J. Exp. Med. 152:361-376 (conjugation of H. influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide to tetanus toxoid and other carriers.)) However, in contrast to autoinducers which are lipid diffusible, these anti-polysaccharide treatments are designed for production of antibodies specific to surface antigens covalently attached to the bacteria, resulting in lysis of the bacteria.
While synthetic autoinducer analogs limit bacterial growth in vitro, this approach fails to harness the capabilities of an active immune response that is a potentially long-lasting and effective therapeutic or prophylactic treatment (Pearson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,872). Furthermore, although autoinducer molecules themselves can be used in diagnostic bioassays, including bioluminescence, antibiotic production, or bacterial growth, these diagnostic assays fail to provide a prophylactic or therapeutic benefit to individuals exposed to autoinducer-producing Gram negative bacteria (Bycroft et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,827).
The present invention relates to immunogenic conjugates comprising a carrier molecule covalently conjugated or otherwise bound to an autoinducer of a Gram negative bacteria of a compound of Formula (I): 
where X is O, S, Nxe2x80x94(C1-C6) alkyl, NR2, N-phenyl; Y is C1-C6 straight or branched alkyl, C1-C6 straight or branched alkenyl, C1-C6 straight or branched alkynyl; Z is Cxe2x95x90O, Cxe2x95x90S, CHOH, Cxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94NR1, Cxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94OH, C1-C8 straight or branched alkyl, C1-C8 straight or branched alkenyl, C1-C8 straight or branched alkynyl; L is C1-C18 straight or branched alkyl, C1-C18 straight or branched alkenyl, C1-C18 straight branched alkynyl, or xe2x80x94CO2H, xe2x80x94CO2R1, xe2x80x94CHO, xe2x80x94Cxe2x89xa1N, xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90O, xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90S, OH, OR1, xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2Br, xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2Cl, xe2x80x94SAc or SH, where R1 is C1-C6 straight or branched alkyl, m is 0 or 1; z is 0 or 1; R2 is H, C1-C6 straight or branched alkyl, C1-C6 straight or branched alkenyl or C1-C6 straight or branched alkynyl, or CO2H; and Q is CH or N; and n is 0-3 with the proviso that when n is 0, X is Nxe2x80x94(C1-6 alkyl) or N-phenyl. In a specific embodiment, the carrier molecule comprises a lysine-containing protein, preferably, including but not limited to bovine serum albumin, chicken egg ovalbumin, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, tetanus toxoid, diphtheria toxoid, and thyroglobulin.
In specific embodiments, the autoinducer is produced by a Gram negative bacteria comprising Aeromonas hydrophila, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Burkholderia cepacia, Chromobacterium violaceum, Enterobacter agglomerans, Erwinia stewarti, Erwinia carotovora, Escherichia coli, Nitrosomas europea, Photobacterium fischeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Rhizobium leguminosarum, Serratia liquefaciens, or Vibrio harveyi. 
In specific embodiments, the autoinducer comprises N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, N-(butanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-homoserine lactone, N-xcex2 (hydroxybutyryl)-homoserine lactone, N-(3-oxooctanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, or N-(3R-hydroxy-cis-tetradecanoyl)-L-homoserinelactone, preferably, N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (PAI-1) or N-(butanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone( PAI-2).
In a specific embodiment, the carrier molecule of the immunogenic conjugate has at least one amine group, the autoinducer has an N-acyl homoserine lactone structure, and the a conjugate is the reductive amination product of the carrier molecule and the autoinducer.
The invention also relates to isolated antibodies or fragments thereof which specifically bind an autoinducer produced by a Gram negative bacteria. In an embodiment, the autoinducer is a compound of Formula (I) (described above). In another embodiment, the autoinducer comprises N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, N-(butanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-homoserine lactone, N-xcex2(hydroxybutyryl)-homoserine lactone, N-(3-oxooctanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, or N-(3R-hydroxy-cis-tetradecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone. In a specific embodiment, the autoinducer is N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone or N-(butanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone.
The invention also relates to isolated antibodies or fragments thereof which specifically bind an autoinducer produced by a Gram negative bacteria in which the autoinducer is covalently conjugated or otherwise bound to a carrier molecule. The carrier molecule includes but is not limited to bovine serum albumin, chicken egg ovalbumin, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, tetanus toxoid, diphtheria toxoid, and thyroglobulin.
In specific embodiments, the autoinducer which is specifically bound by the antibodies or fragments thereof of the invention is produced by a Gram negative bacteria comprising Aeromonas hydrophila, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Burkholderia cepacia, Chromobacterium violaceum, Enterobacter agglomerans, Erwinia stewarti, Erwinia carotovora, Escherichia coli, Nitrosomas europea, Photobacterium fischeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Rhizobium leguminosarum, Serratia liquefaciens, or Vibrio harveyi. 
The invention also relates to methods for detecting a Gram negative bacteria autoinducer in a sample comprising adding to the sample an antibody in which the antibody specifically binds the autoinducer of a Gram negative bacteria of a compound of Formula (I) (described above). In an embodiment, the autoinducer is produced by a Gram negative bacteria including but not limited to Aeromonas hydrophila, Agrobacterium tuinetaciens, Burkholderia cepacia, Chromobacterium violaceum, Enterobacter agglomerans, Erwinia stewarti, Erwinia carotovora, Escherichia coli, Nitrosomas europea, Photobacterium fischeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Rhizobium leguminosarum, Serratia liquefaciens, or Vibrio harveyi. 
The invention also relates to methods of treating or preventing an infectious disease in a subject comprising administering an amount of an immunogenic conjugate in which the immunogenic conjugate comprises a carrier molecule covalently conjugated or otherwise bound to an autoinducer of a Gram negative bacteria of a compound of Formula (I) (described above); preferably, the subject is a human.
The invention also relates to methods of treating or preventing an infectious disease in a subject comprising administering an amount of an antibody or fragment thereof which specifically binds an autoinducer of a Gram negative bacteria of a compound of Formula (I) (described above); preferably, the subject is a human.
The invention also relates to diagnostic kits and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the immunogenic conjugates or antibodies or fragments thereof of the invention.
The present invention also relates to methods of inhibiting autoinducer activity. The methods comprise contacting an effective amount of the antibody or binding portion thereof with an autoinducer under conditions effective to bind the autoinducer in which the amount is effective to treat or prevent infection by Gram negative bacteria.